Sweet Hell
by spyrowrites
Summary: Charlotte thought that her life couldn't get any better. But, things aren't always meant to last forever. When her parents die, a stranger shows up on her doorstep claiming to be her real father. Also that he's the devil. She doesn't know whether she should laugh or cry. What the hell was she suppose to do? [ au ] [ slight elijah x oc ] [ crossover w/ fox's lucifer ]
1. prologue

_This can't be happening. Not again, not now._

The dreams had been getting worse, ever since her eighteenth birthday. These dreams, which were more like nightmares always told her that someone was coming for her, and it had been plaguing her mind ever since. _It_ had been a long three years of sleepless nights and looking like her world was about to fall apart every second of the day. That's why she managed to convince her parents to move away from Mystic Falls with her - maybe the events that occurred during her high school years were the cause of the problem, but it turned out - they weren't. The nightmares had followed her, and Charlie didn't know what to do about them. Her family might have been one of witches, but that didn't mean these _dreams_ were any less weird to her parents. Charlotte Doran seemed to always find herself in these types of situations. Life had continued to be rather complicated for her, running into the Mikaelson's the second she had moved wasn't just coincidence, she had a long and strong connection with the family. It seemed like _they_ were the root of her problems. **Probably**. Ever since Elijah saved her when she was six years old, their fates had been entwined in an awkwardly _obvious_ thread that Charlie wasn't able to _cut_ and she cursed **God out** for being such a dick about it.

The dreams were all different. Like they had been telling a story and yet the one Charlie had _the_ night before, was one of the more concerning ones.

-x-

Hands patted over the wall, desperately trying to find the doorknob. The limited amount of light was making it hard for Charlie to see anything in this room at all. The word _morgue_ wanted to roll off the tip of her tongue, but she held herself back - because if she _said_ it, there was no way she would be able to focus on **getting** _out_ of the room. A curse left her lips when her **hands** _slammed_ into the doorknob, a brief moment of pain surged up her arm, but Charlie _took_ all her attention and focused it on the door. She turned it and all the hope she had felt bubbling subconsciously to the surface, plummeted down again. It was locked.

"No," she murmured to herself, hands yanked on the doorknob again. "Please." palms then moved to bang against the wood of the door. Nothing happened still. Suddenly, there was that sensation of fingers in her hair ran down Charlie's spin again, and it caused the brunette to jerk backwards away from the door. A warm breath blew over her cheeks and the air fogged up her glasses, making what little light from the globe on the ceiling, even more impossible to see. Hot wind whipped around her, which caused her _hair_ to fall in front of her face and the tiny light flickered.

This couldn't end well. Hospitals at night were the worst.

"Sweet child." a voice whispered.

"What is she?" another asked.

" _Witch_." a giggle.

"Are you sure?"

"Oh no ... _angel_."

"What?" the first voice questioned, fingers combed through her hair yet again. Angel? What did they mean by angel? Angels weren't real.

"How is it possible?" the second voice sounded back in her ear, the wind had died down and Charlie turned around and took a couple of steps backwards so that her back was placed firmly against the door - she was annoyed that she couldn't see the _demons_ that were stood in front of her.

"Half _witch_ , half **angel**."

"It's _h e r_." blue eyes tried to focus, it suddenly felt rather weird. Weirder than before, the air around her seemed to suddenly relieve its pressure on her body like they had no desire to kill her anymore. "We've found her." something laughed and Charlie felt _a_ hand take hold of her wrist and yanked her forward - away from the door and into the centre of the room. A yelp escaped the young witch's throat.

The demons moved around Charlotte - so that they surrounded her. "He's coming."

"Our father." Hot breath touched her ear again, which caused Charlie to flinch sideways.

"Father?" she mumbled, a frown settling on her face.

" _You're_ father."

"Uriel is coming for them."

Charlie then felt like she couldn't breathe.

"They'll be dead, and you'll be _HIS_ again."

"No, no - what do you mean?" but her question was drowned out by the howling wind again. "Answer me!"

"Charlie!" her name sliced through the wind and her whole body whipped around - the small room she had been standing in had been was replaced by what looked like a cave. It was dark and cold, thunder rolled over her with the wind and Charlie squinted her eyes, tearing off her glasses. "Charlie!" her name again. Her frown grew, and the young witch wrapped her arms around her stomach, clutching onto her glasses. If she didn't know any better - _this_ right here felt like Hell. "Charlie wake up!"

-x-

Something soft but thick attacked the sleeping form from above, which caused the brunette to jerk herself awake. Her whole body shot upwards and blue eyes landed on a rather annoyed looking Klaus. Charlie squinted up at him and she **swallowed**. That was _a_ rather weird dream - not like the other she had been having at all.

"Bloody hell - it sounded like you were being murdered in here." the blonde vampire commented, standing at the end of her bed with his hands on his hips. It was almost unnatural to see Klaus looking so _worried_ about her. He knew she could handle herself, but also, _she_ was incredibly clumsy - could trip over her own feet when standing still. The time they had spent together - the pair of them had gotten rather close, much to everyone's annoyance, especially Elijah's.

Klaus was a rather _bad_ influence on Charlie.

It took Charlie a second to figure out what was going on then. She leaned over to the nightstand and picked up her glasses before she placed them on her face. "Sorry," she mumbled, ever since she arrived in New Orleans, Klaus had taken her under his wing, Elijah was rather sceptical that it was _just_ because Charlie wasn't a **witch** from New Orleans, plus she would do anything for the Hybrid - someone a lot easier to talk too than Davina. Even still, ever since their time in Mystic Falls, Klaus and Charlie, as well the _whole_ family ( apart from Finn, he was just an asshole. ) had gotten close. So when Klaus had extended his offer to have Charlie live with them ( and give her parents a few years of peace and quiet ) she could hardly say no to that.

"Bad dream again?" While Charlie had been reminiscing and trying to straighten her thoughts out, Klaus had been wandering around her room. He threw open the massive curtains, before turning around throwing one of Charlie's many flower pattern dresses on her bed. Again, the thought of Niklaus Mikaelson being anything _but_ mean was a shock, but the hybrid knew that with a recent break up ( to which he had threatened to kill the **boy** ) and the nightmares, it was hard for the young witch to _get_ over on her own so easily.

Charlie nodded her head slowly and watched Klaus for a couple of seconds. Similar blue eyes watched her back. To Klaus, Charlie was the little sister that would follow him to the ends of the Earth, the one who wouldn't judge him or doubt him, something that he had sorely been missing since Rebekah left. To Charlie, Klaus was that _older_ brother she never had, he was **furiously** protective of the witch and would harm anyone that would in turn _harm_ her and that included her parents, unfortunately. It was a miracle _that_ the ex-boyfriend was even still alive. The brunette _groaned_ before breaking eye contact with the Original and fell back against her pillow, Klaus, on the other hand, was already walking out the door. A smirk on his lips.

"Get up, Charlotte!" he called back to her. "Mother wants a _dinner_ party and I need my favourite witch present."

Another groan left Charlie's lips, arm thrown over her eyes. She had to wait a couple of seconds, usually, Klaus would get distracted by Elijah or Hayley and he would ignore her and she would be able to fall asleep again.

"Now Lottie!" her groan got even louder. She could hear Klaus' chuckle and the younger woman rolled her eyes.

Welcome to the week of Hell.

 **A/N**

 **Oh hello, fancy seeing you all here again. This is the new and improved** _ **Sweet Hell**_ **. This version will no longer cross over with Supernatural but with Lucifer. Now,** _ **Lucifer**_ **crew won't be introduced for a little while, so I will keep this story in The Originals tag and when I start writing for** _ **Lucifer**_ **I will see if I could possibly place it in the crossover tag.**

 **Anyhow I hope you enjoy, I hope there aren't too many mistakes and if there are I apologise now haha.**


	2. the anxiety

Her body had reluctantly moved from the warmth and comfort of her bed and let her feet drag the rest of the young witch into the ensuite bathroom. It was rather obvious that Charlie did not want to be awake at that moment in time, her brain was having too much of a problem trying to decipher what her _horrible_ dream had been about.

Shaking her head slightly, Charlie managed to get on with her daily morning routine, allowing her mind to **focus** on the fact that the three other occupants of the compound had probably been awake for at least three hours before her. Or in Klaus' case a lot longer than three, he probably hadn't even gone to sleep at all. The young witch wasn't in the greatest of moods to motivate herself after such a nightmare, however.

So, there she stood, in the bathroom with a toothbrush hanging limply from her mouth, Charlie's eyes _slid_ closed again. At least she had managed to get dressed in the outfit Klaus had picked out for her and the hair on top of her head was wavy, and not looking like _birds had_ been living in it for quite some time _._ It wasn't long until she heard familiar voices drift from somewhere on the second story. It caused Charlie to shake herself awake and she leaned over the sink, spat out the toothpaste left over in her mouth and sigh. Charlie wiped at her mouth with the hand towel and looked into the mirror - the bags under her eyes weren't as pronounced anymore, since she had placed concealer on.

She took a deep breath and held it for a couple of seconds, before letting it out slowly. Bright blue eyes, which neither her mum nor her father had, stared back at her in the mirror, the bangs resting on her forehead were starting to annoy her. They weren't sitting right - so she started to mess with them with her left hand, trying to get the short pieces of hair to fit exactly right across her forehead. "Come on bangs, you sons of bitches," she mumbled to herself - eyes squinted behind her glasses before her hand dropped back to her side. That would have to do. Another deep breath and the staring contest with herself in the mirror continued.

-x-

It was another couple of minutes before Charlie forced the courage to face the others into her system, she couldn't hide in her room all day, even though that is exactly what she wanted to do - though she was certain that Klaus would drag her out by her ear if that were to happen. Maybe even the hem of her skirt. Charlie knew she still looked awful and her nightmare was still played at the back of her mind. WHO was going to die? Were the _demons_ talking about Klaus or Elijah, hell were they talking about Hayley? Charlie figured that they weren't the ones they had been talking about, because they already had plethora of enemies and yet still managed to stay alive just to spite everyone. However, this _dream_ was causing her to lose sleep, someone was _always_ dying in her dreams, why was this one any different?

Charlie was still out of focus when she stepped onto the balcony from her bedroom and ran straight into Elijah. It was like hitting a brick wall, a rather good-looking brick wall and if his hand hadn't come up to grab a hold of her right arm to steady her, Charlie knew she would have fallen flat on her ass. Which would have just been the icing on the wonderfully _shitty cake_ that this week had produced already.

Though the _only_ thing that had fallen to the tiled floor were her glasses. Charlie winced as they bounced on the ground, which caused her to _pray_ to God that the lenses hadn't smashed _or_ even been scratched. She muttered a soft apology to Elijah and tried to avoid eye contact when she knew _exactly_ what his bright blue gaze was looking at - before she started to bend down. However, Elijah's grip on her arm tightened, which caused Charlie to stand straight. A frown settled on her forehead, they glanced at each other and Charlie had to stop herself from making a noise as Elijah bent down and picked up the glasses for her. Ever the fucking gentleman. He let the hand that was _still_ holding onto her arm fall from her skin and used it to pull out his handkerchief before he wiped away the dust that had appeared.

No cracks or _broken_ lenses. Charlie heaved out a sigh of relief and shifted on her spot before she moved her arms and crossed them over her chest. She could still faintly hear Klaus and Hayley's voices, which she now knew where coming from his bedroom - and suddenly remembered where she was supposed to be going in the first place.

Yet the young witch continued to watch Elijah with a morbid curiosity. The feelings that had developed all those years ago had been pushed deep down - _deep_ down inside her. His fascination with Hayley was what caused the retreatment of said feelings, she knew that if she continued down that path - the only person who would get hurt was her. Though it was bloody hard to do when he was _doing_ things like this and every other weekend ended up ignoring Hayley. It was a tense couple of seconds before he shot her his _charming_ smile and placed the glasses on the bridge of her nose.

"Thanks," she mumbled, a hand came up to push the glasses the rest of the way up her nose.

"I take it those are the only pair you have?" he questioned, and Charlie's head almost exploded. What even was this conversation? Why were they having it? It seemed strange that they were so casual towards each other all of a sudden. He _knew_ of her feelings and it had been an awkward couple of weeks - she doubted that he was still _over_ that whole conversation.

"Er - yeah, I don't have … well, I did but you know. Klaus broke them." Well, that was only half true, both of them had something to do with the _breakage_ of her second pair of glasses and it was a long story. Her current black _Ray-Bans_ were the only pair she had left, there was no way she had an extra $400 laying around to buy a new pair.

She was only a _primary_ school teacher.

Then all of a sudden, the conversation had drifted and came to a complete stop when Elijah nodded his head and moved past Charlie, towards Klaus' bedroom. Charlie stared straight ahead and raised a brow. _What the hell was that?_ Though she didn't get the chance to answer her own question, when the same hand that had been wrapped around her arm, caught a hold of her wrist and pulled her along behind him.

She stumbled suddenly over her heeled feet and felt a blush rush to rest against her cheeks. Elijah either didn't notice or didn't care that he almost caused her to fall over again. It had only been the day for four hours and yet, it was already starting to mess with Charlie's mind.

His fingers around her wrist were cold and it was suddenly a very nice sensation against her burning skin, she was certain he could feel it _. Charlie_ watched the back of his head for the entire walk into Klaus' room, though before they came to a stop, Charlie schooled her features.

She really didn't want Klaus to tease her in front of _both_ of them.

"Your wretched mother and her disciples tried to put a carving knife through our baby's heart." Charlie could hear Hayley speak and suddenly everything the witch had been worrying about seemed rather _dull_. To have to deal with someone, let alone your babies' _grandmother_ , wanting your child _dead_ \- was a little bit more important than the feelings she knew she _shouldn't_ be having. "I will happily add to the body count." Hayley continued when Elijah and Charlie stepped into view.

"You will do no such thing," Elijah said, the tone of his voice left no room for an argument and Charlie couldn't help but give Hayley a look. Who returned it, until her eyes lingered down to their entangled hands. Charlie let her blue eyes fall and she all but pulled her hand out of Elijah's grasp. The elder Original _either_ didn't notice or chose to ignore it...again. Klaus on the other hand, couldn't help the smirk that **grew** on his face. "Esther's a master in the art of possession. We know whose body she currently inhabits." Elijah managed to pull the conversation back to the matter, moving the hand that HAD been wrapped around Charlie's to straighten his tie. "We must decipher her intentions before she finds a new host."

Klaus shifted on his spot and let his grin remain on his face. "Well, her last invitation was an assassination attempt on all her children. I think we can assume her intentions are decidedly foul." Charlie looked over at Elijah and noticed that he shrugged his shoulders, which caused her head to tilt to the side - like he **wanted** this _dinner_ party to go ahead and for them to rush with their attack on Esther.

"Well, then. We have…" Elijah looked down at his watch and then to the three. "This afternoon to prepare for the worst." Elijah turned on his heel and Charlie didn't miss the fact that his hand brush over her wrist as he passed her. Or was that her who desperately wanted to keep the _skin_ contact between the two of them alive. Blue eyes lingered on his retreating form and she almost wanted to _push_ him over the railing, what the hell was he doing to her?

"The bloom is off the rose, I see." Charlie heard Klaus murmur to Hayley, to which she replied with _shut up_. Klaus came up to Charlie then and he took her hand in his and Charlie felt the urge to tell him to piss off. _Stop manhandling me_ the brunette thought - she knew how to walk perfectly fine on her own.

Well - that was a bit of a lie, she had the easiest of times tripping over her own feet _while_ standing still, but that was beside the point.

"And what about you dear Lottie?" Charlie gave a massive sigh and turned her head to the side - where she watched him for a couple of seconds. Klaus let the hand that was holding hers go and ended up with his arm wrapped around her waist.

The two of them had made their way back out onto the balcony. "Don't try and deny it, love. I noticed those _innocent_ little touches shared between my brother and you." Charlie shook her head. The pair of them moved down the stairs, and towards the _sitting_ area. Klaus moved his arm away from Charlie, his gaze fixed on Hayley who was finally coming out of his bedroom and made her way towards her own. Charlie turned and watched as well - a frown settling on her brow again. Why must Hayley have all the attention? It's not like Charlie didn't like _Hayley_ , hardly - it was just that … well, the young witch was a little jealous. "Oh Lottie, you mustn't be."

Charlie turned around and spotted Klaus watching her. Her frown deepened, and her arms crossed over her chest. "Stop it." her tone was heavy and the mischievous glint in Klaus' eye disappeared. "I know I shouldn't, but it's really **hard** when he does things that I can _very_ easily misinterpret." Klaus gave a soft sigh and made his way over to stand in front of the short brunette.

"I know my brother, Lottie. He isn't doing _any_ of this on purpose." Klaus had to stop his face from betraying the truth. He didn't like seeing her so upset, she was the only thing that could quell his rage and calm him down so easily, seeing her so upset wasn't exactly what he needed right now. "And if he hurts you - who cares about _forever and always_." Charlie gave him a look, like that was ever going to happen but she ended up giving him a smile anyway. "That's my girl."

Charlie took a deep breath and let her arms hang by her sides before she surged forward and wrapped them around Klaus' middle. She couldn't really remember the last time she had seen him _hug_ anyone, but she just had to - she needed that contact.

He stood frozen for a couple of seconds. Unsure as of what to do. Before Klaus let a smile cross his lips and he wrapped his arms around Charlie's shoulders. The shorter of the two tightened her grip around him just a tad. Maybe the day wouldn't be _so_ bad after all.

-x-

It was about five hours later that Charlie found herself sat at the dining table, with her phone resting on the dining table. She stared rather intently at the device, willing for the screen to light up - her parents had messaged her that they were heading off to the markets in the French Quarter and that they would message her when they arrived, that had been almost two hours ago. Charlie bit down on her lower lip, trying to block the rest of the world out, Klaus was hastily making arrangements for the evening's dinner.

 _Uriel's coming for them._

What the hell did that even mean? Charlie knew that Uriel was _an_ archangel - but ... why would her nightmare even tell her that? That had never been a thing before.

"Skip the salad course. Let's not make this dreadful evening any longer than it needs to be." Charlie only managed to fall back into the conversation between Klaus and the compelled caterers when her phone chimed and her whole body jerked forwards in her chair, knee banging against the expensive marble dining table.

 _Made it. A little bit of delay but don't worry._  
did you want us to get you anything? :0)  
dad x

"That was dad," she mumbled as she relaxed back into the chair, Klaus' interest had peaked when she had stumbled into the dining room, face stricken with worry that her parents hadn't gotten back to her yet. He knew that the nightmare she had the night before was plaguing her mind still - and he had no idea how to stop it. He knew that if he _even_ tried to compel her, she would be out that front door quicker than he could run. He didn't want to risk it. "They made it and are wondering if I needed anything." a soft chuckle escaped Klaus' lips but before he could continue their conversation, Hayley made her way into the room.

"So, I guess letting Oliver live pair off," Hayley started. "He just informed me your mother has a partner-in-crime. Another witch." That caught Charlie's interest. Blue eyes found green and she raised a brow.

"What other witch? I told mum and dad _not_ to get involved with this sort of stuff."

"Well - it's a good thing that your parents are _not_ a part of this, Lottie." Charlie and Hayley both looked back at Klaus and he gave the pair of them a charming smile. "She's building alliances in her quest to destroy us, I imagine."

"Why does she hate you so much, Klaus?" Hayley questioned, moving closer to the dining table so that she could lean against it. Charlie looked back down at her phone, the three grey dots were still appearing as her father typed his reply. "She had six kids, it's not like she doesn't have the maternal gene."

"Seven, actually." Charlie smiled softly, Elijah had told her about Henrik once, on their little makeshift road trip back in Mystic Falls - that whole _experience still_ left her reeling. "And, I think at one time, she loved us very much." Klaus started to fold the napkins on the table, trying to keep his hands busy. "One died before I was born."

Hayley was silent for a couple of seconds, her eyes falling on the witch to her right. "I didn't know that."

"Years later, my brother Henrik was killed by the werewolves in our village." Klaus continued on. "The loss of another child pushed my other over the edge. So, she used her magic to turn us into immortals." Charlie sighed softly and lifted her gaze from her phone and it came to rest on Klaus, who was still folding the napkins. "I think that's when she loved us the most. But, it was her undoing. It triggered a sequence of events that led to the reveal of her long-held secret." Charlie rested her chin against the palm of her hand as she leaned forward in her chair, now _these were_ details that Elijah had managed to leave out on their road trip. "My birth father was the werewolf whose pack killed my little brother. Of course, when Mikael found out, he murdered my real father, and so, my mother lost her lover too." Klaus had turned away from the two women who were sat stunned by his rather _sudden_ confession.

"Wow. No wonder she's crazy," Hayley mumbled, and Charlie couldn't help the snort that escaped her throat. "I'm out of my mind having just given away Hope… I can't imagine if she'd actually died." And now the younger brunette was left feeling like this was a _rather_ private conversation that she shouldn't be privy too.

"You know, my siblings used to tell each other she didn't hate us. She hated herself for what we've become." Klaus turned back to face Hayley before he leaned against the chair at the head of the table. "I think they believed that even after she tried to kill us all."

"What did you believe?"

"I don't know. I just knew I wanted her dead." Klaus lifted his gaze and the parents stared at each other for a long moment. Charlie shifted awkwardly in her chair, they hadn't asked her to leave so she didn't go. She felt a little bit safer when she was around Klaus at the moment - but right now, she wished she was anywhere else.

The funny thing about Charlotte was that she had prayed the two who were still staring at each other in front of her would _manage_ to sort out their differences and make it … work.

It was strange but - Charlie could see it.

"Well, every good story needs a wicked witch." Hayley winked at Klaus and then looked towards Charlie. "And we have our Good Witch of the East to help fight off the Wicked Witch of the West. It'll be all the more satisfying when we melt her." Klaus returns her smile and Charlie tried not to make a rather loud swooning noise.

And suddenly this week was not only going to be hard due to Esther but also due to Charlie and her ability to _not_ being very subtle with things like this.

-x-

 **a/n: ahh im so glad that you guys are enjoying this.  
I apologise for any grammar or spelling mistakes xx  
leave a review, helps me write faster heh**


	3. the dinner

a/n: welp here it is, like two months late and probably a rather shitty chapter.

i apologise for being so long between updates - i can only really write when i have the muse and sometimes these little shits come and go so easily. but a really nice review left on the last chapter, got me wanting to continue and give you something a little bit longer this time !

-x-

Charlie hadn't been able to focus on anything other than the fact that her _nightmare_ felt extremely real. That the place she had been **transported** too was somewhere locally, like that **room** was rather familiar to her. It was something that was causing shivers to rush down her spine every time her mind lingered on it for too long. The young witch tried to think rationally, that it was impossible for her to be somewhere else when she KNEW she was in bed, but it was hard. She had seen so much that should never have existed, that something as … **astral** projection couldn't have been too farfetched for herself not to believe, that it was all just a **dream**. Charlie tried her hardest to focus on the present - she was needed **here** instead of dream land. It eased her mind slightly that her parents were out of town, they wouldn't be involved with Esther, nor would she feel bad for skipping another family dinner _,_ considering Klaus had practically glued her to his side.

One thing that many vampires, werewolves, and witches never got to see, was the side of Niklaus Mikaelson that was soft and caring and **very** protective of his family. They saw the anger and the rage and sometimes the psychopath that many had heard about and Charlie was rather grateful to _God_ that she was one of the lucky few, who got Klaus when he wasn't a **raging** _murder_ man. The pair of them arrived at Marcel's loft within thirty minutes and Charlie ran a hand through brown hair, before she fixed the glasses that rested upon her nose.

She was still nervous.

"Let me guess, you need a favour?" Marcel spoke up as the pair of them stepped into the living room, coming off the stairs, Klaus had a smirk on his face.

"I'm paying this one, I promise," Klaus replied before he placed a hand against the small of Charlie's back, causing her to step just in front of him. Slender arms crossed over her chest. "There was a necklace I gave you a long time ago. It was a leather strap with a metal bird on the end."

Marcel didn't even hesitate as he turned on the spot - a glass of whiskey in his hand – and made his way to the shelf just behind him. His free hand grabbed the small wooden box. "Yeah, you gave it to me when I turned eleven." Charlie couldn't help but smile, she pulled away from the hybrid and wandered over to the shelf herself. There wasn't much on display, but the few photos that Marcel _DID_ have helped the **darkness** leave her mind. She could feel Marcel's eyes lingering on her **face** before he focused back on Klaus.

"You remember." Klaus seemed generally surprised, Marcel moved away from the shelf and handed the box over to the hybrid.

"Mikael's back, Elijah's babbling on about family drama, and you're here, with _your_ favourite witch in tow, looking for antique jewellery."

Charlie snorted and turned around. Noticing the faraway look in Klaus' eyes, he must have been remembering something rather important because he never let his guard down. Not even around friends. "Please Marcel, I'm your favourite as well." making her way back over to Klaus. Marcel raised a brow before he crossed his own arms over his broad chest.

"No, that title belongs to Davina. You inserted yourself as the favourite witch when you arrived. I never said it." Charlie smirked - just as Klaus came back to them. "Do I even want to know why you're asking for a necklace that your mother gave you?"

Klaus smiled softly and closed the box, before holding it against his chest. "Believe me, Marcel - you want no part in the latest chapter of our sprawling family saga." Klaus looked at Charlie for a few seconds, he tried to catch her eye, but she **looked** around the loft. Green eyes focused back on Marcel as his smile fell into a sad look. "Thank you for holding onto this." That's when the hybrid turned on his heel and headed back up the stairs. Marcel nodded his head to no one in particular, while Charlie stayed put - watching Marcel closely.

"Are you sure you want to go along with this?" Marcel then looked down at the small witch. She gave a smile and then turned on her heel, before she started to walk towards the stairs as well - before she hesitated and stopped before she looked over her shoulder.

"They're my family as well, Marcel." Heaving a sigh, Charlie turned back around and made her way to the stairs slowly, she didn't notice Marcel's face dropping.

"You've owed them enough. You don't owe them anymore."

"I do though." With that, Charlie made her way up the steps and turned back around once more - her own sad smile crossing her face. "I owe Klaus my life." She owed that family _everything_.

-x-

They arrived back at the compound, but Charlie's nose was buried in her phone, while Hayley was filling them in about what her wolves had found out, Charlie was desperately trying to convince her parents to stay away from the city for the night. Her parents had decided to leave the _small_ markets early and Charlie was having a _hard_ time convincing her father. At least – stay out until the _dinner_ was over.

"Marcel's witch is being held captive in the Quarter." A frown was present on her forehead, only coming to a stop when she all but ran into Elijah _again_. He managed to stop her from falling over as he placed a hand against her right shoulder and his other came to rest on her waist. He turned her around, so that she was _facing_ into the group.

"Oh perfect, Mother's a step ahead." Klaus looked over at the three of them before his eyes settled on Charlie and a frown creased on his own forehead. The hybrid leaned over and ripped the phone out of _his_ witch's hands. "As usual."

"Hey! Klaus!" She exclaimed but was ignored, as Klaus placed her phone in his pocket. It was a couple of seconds later that Charlie realised that Elijah's hand was still rested on her waist. A blush fell across her cheeks and was glad that everyone was preoccupied with Hayley.

"Oliver's with her." Hayley continued. "I'll go, and I'll get her to do the spell, but I need the necklace."

Charlie crossed her arms over her chest, a pout settling on her lips. "I don't like this whatso-"

Hayley frowned and raised a hand, cutting Elijah off. "No. You don't get to ignore me for days and then suddenly act like you're concerned, Elijah." That caused a smile to replace the pout on Charlie's lips. Elijah looked like he was going to continue, but Charlie nudged him with her elbow and Klaus sighed. He pulled the necklace from his pocket and handed it over to Hayley, who looked rather relieved that Klaus wasn't going to _argue_ with her. "Thank you." The _newly_ turned hybrid turned on her heel and started to make her way for the front door until Elijah spoke up again.

"Wait." His hand dropped from Charlie's waist and the pout suddenly returned. Her nose twitched, before she then moved over to Klaus.

"I don't car-"

"No, there's something else." If they kept interrupting each other, Charlie was going to take the necklace and do the bloody job herself. "A disciple of Marcel's was instructed to fetch another ingredient. Ask for Gia." Charlie could tell that the name shook Hayley, annoyed her slightly. To be honest, it did the same for her - not that Elijah wasn't _allowed_ to ... you know **SEE** other ladies because a thousand years was a _LONG_ time and well - Hayley wasn't exactly giving in and Elijah was skirting around her and -

"Okay." Hayley then left - out the front door and Klaus wrapped his arm around Charlie's waist and he pulled her forward with him, towards Elijah.

"What's going on with you two?" It was Charlie's eyebrow that twitched this time. Klaus damn well _knew_ _that this subject was a sore point for Elijah_ _and_ _her. But_ well - like any **brother,** he decided to be a little shit about it.

"Nothing," Elijah replied as he fixed his suit jacket. "She's stronger, that's all that matters."

-x-

The brunette witch stared at herself in the mirror for another three minutes and all but scrunched up her nose. Elijah had decided that **fancy** attire was required for the dinner. Charlie wasn't even supposed to BE there - she knew that she should have followed Hayley to the shop, to face the _other_ witch. A hand ran down the purple fabric and came to rest on her hip - her hair **was** _out,_ and the dark curls rested on and around her shoulders.

Bangs managed to sit right on her face this time.

"You are looking rather beautiful tonight." His voice caught her off guard, which caused Charlie to jump back from her mirror in surprise and trip over the pair of heels that were placed behind her. A squeak escaped her lips for the second time that day and his **arms** encircled her waist - **yet** again. Her eyes slammed shut and her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest. God - why the hell was she so _clumsy_. "I do wish you'd be more careful, Charlotte." Elijah continued as he straightened her up and the brunette opened her blue eyes.

"I'd wish you wouldn't be so damn **quiet**." She mumbled, and a smirk crossed the originals face. "We need to get you a collar or something. With a little bell – like a cat." It amused Elijah **greatly** that he was still able to _scare_ her. Bending down then, Charlie picked up her heels and ran a hand through her hair - forcing it out of her eyes. "Why did you _scare_ me, Elijah?"

Elijah straightened out his shirt and held his arm out towards her. "I came by to escort you to dinner." Blue eyes squinted up at the vampire. "I promise you, Charlotte - nothing will happen this evening. You will be perfectly safe." Esther had tried to _jump_ into Charlie's body a couple of months ago. It hadn't been a pleasant experience for **both** parties involved - it was like a **HIGHER** power had been watching out for her. This caused the Mother of _all_ vampires (and the son) to not particularly like Charlie. She wasn't like any witch Esther had seen. There was power there that the thousand-year-old witch couldn't control.

Wrapping her own arm around Elijah's and holding her heels in the other, they made their way out of the room. "You know Klaus is gonna hate having to wear a _suit_ and tie." She had been trying to focus on anything _other than_ how amazing Elijah could pull off **black** tie. He wore them almost constantly - but it still didn't take away his ability to look perfect in them.

"Niklaus needs to understand that we do not want a war with our mother," Elijah spoke as they descended the stairs. "We just want to talk. Peacefully." Charlie raised a brow and let a snort escape her.

"I will _pray._ But twenty bucks says that he'll _blow_ it." They came to a stop just outside the dining room and Elijah frowned. "Come on, Eli - you _know_ that tonight will NOT go as planned." Elijah's frown turned into a raised brow and a sigh escaped his lips. He hesitated before he held out his hand. Charlie bounced on her feet and dropped pink coloured heels on the ground - before taking his hand. Shaking it once and then twice.

"Deal." Elijah let his smile return to his face, as he turned on his heel and made his way into the dining room. Charlie quickly pulled on the heels, gaining at least two inches, and followed after Elijah. The table was _filled_ with amazing looking food and it was then **that** Charlie's stomach decided to _rumble. She_ was really the only one that **NEEDED** to eat in the house, besides Hayley.

"Are these outfits really necessary?" Klaus spoke up, fidgeting at his tie, looking at Elijah - not noticing yet that Charlie had started to pinch some of the vegetables from dishes.

"Appearance is a way of showing respect, Niklaus." The youngest rolled his eyes at his elder brother. "Mother will be more likely to surrender her true intentions." Charlie raised a brow as she moved to the head of the table and then pulled the chair out on the left-hand side - there was no way she'd be sitting down near Esther and the eldest son. Klaus took his time then leaned over to press a kiss against Charlie's cheek.

"At least you are _looking_ wonderful tonight, Lottie." Two lots of compliments in one night, Charlie tried not to let her ego grow. "Well, I doubt her guard will drop just 'cause I'm dressed like a bloody lawyer." Klaus' tone switched tones in three places, Charlie couldn't help the laugh.

"You look dashing, Nik," Charlie tried to comfort as she sat down in her chair already - maybe she should have gone barefoot - Rebekah had ridiculously high shoes, how the hell did she _walk_ in them. "Besides, look _good_ for me. Not Esther." Klaus smirked then as Elijah started to light the candles in the centre of the table.

"We need every advantage we can get, Niklaus. Charlotte is right, you **look** _dashing_." Charlie then poked her tongue out at the vampire. To which Elijah _almost_ did the same, instead a roll of his eyes was given her way.

"You always did excel in diplomacy," Klaus mumbled slightly - shrugging his shoulders and resting his hands against the back of his chair. "Just know, if she tries anything, I'll tear her new body to pieces." It was at that moment Finn - in one of the Quarter witches, Vincent - stepped into the dining room. Charlie all but stood up from the chair and moved to stand behind Klaus. Finn and Charlie's first meeting hadn't exactly been a pleasant one - a _spell_ that caused her head to feel like it was exploding from inside out and then **ropes, lots of them** in a basement. The _eldest_ brother let his eyes **linger** on the younger witch before he moved onto his brothers.

"You two haven't changed a bit!" Finn let his eyes focus on Elijah then. "Linens and silk to disguise your pathetic self-loathing," Charlie raised a brow, focusing all of her nervous energy into getting a list of _come_ backs ready. "And you -" Finn looked at Klaus. "Despite the arrogant facade, you're still the same paranoid little boy, full of hate and fear." Charlie couldn't see Klaus' face, but she felt his body stiffen and her hand came out to grab onto his forearm. "I also see you haven't _given_ up on the abomination yet either." Charlie's face morphed into one of offense and her brows underneath her bangs tilted downward. Elijah kept his cool, like always, and stepped forward towards Finn.

"Forgive me, I don't believe I've had the pleasure." A tight smile was present on the Nobel brothers face - the man, at the other head of the table, feigned an offensive look and placed his hands against his chest.

"Oh, you mean you don't recognise me? So much for the unbreakable bonds of family huh?"

"It's Finn," Charlie spoke up before the **brother** had the chance. Eyes all focused on her and she tried not to cower behind Klaus again. "That's your brother." Finn let a laugh escape his lips and nodded his head.

"Always and forever indeed." Klaus scowled, standing up straighter and Charlie removed her hand and crossed them over her chest, **fingers** digging into the skin underneath her armpits.

"It's been a long time, Finn." Charlie didn't have to be any kind of supernatural being to recognise that Klaus was reigning in his _anger_. Trying desperately not to _tear_ his brothers head from his body.

"Now that the introductions are out of the way, let's eat!"

-x-

Charlie watched in silence as Elijah poured Finn a glass of wine, her _blue_ eyes had never strained from the eldest brother. The pit of her stomach still **tightened** at the sight of him. They were bantering back and forth, and she was _trying_ to pay attention like Klaus wanted her too, but she was **too** focused on the fact that the man who sat at the end of the table had **tortured** her for a whole day and no one had done a thing. Her ray-bans _felt_ heavy on her nose and she tried to shake her head free of the emotions and the memories of _that_ night.

"What exactly are we celebrating?" Elijah's voice caused Charlie to focus back on the table.

"Why, my return, of course!" Finn exclaimed, leaning forward in his chair. "Remember, I spent nine hundred years - right? - lying daggered in a box. I'm rather enjoying this new body." Finn let his eyes _linger_ on Charlie and her nose turned up in disgust, before she looked down at her plate that was filled with untouched food - waiting for dear **old** mummy to show up before they ate she supposed. "Strolling about your lovely city that, uh, you've made your home. But, do tell me - what'd I miss? Regale me with your contributions to society! Medicine? Philosophy? Art?" Klaus rolled his eyes then. "Or, have you two merely cut a path of destruction across time? I suppose poor, Charlotte here was one of those many examples of **destruction**."

 **"The** last time we met, you were helping out mother try to annihilate the lot of us!" Klaus brought the subject to them and not his _witch_. He hadn't been liking the way _Finn_ , had been eyeing Lottie for the first half of the night. "Let's not throw stones in glass houses."

"Are we expecting another guest?" Elijah butt in then - noticing Klaus' rising temper and Charlotte's **discomfort**.

"Mother will sit at the head." Finn answered, not letting his eyes leave Klaus' face. "And, as for the seat across from me, that's reserved for another of our clan. Care to wager an educated guess? How about a paranoid one?" Charlie let her own eyes roll, as she tuned the conversation out again - her nightmare coming to the front of her mind again.

Uriel? Wasn't - wasn't that one of the archangels in **Christian** religion? Uriel - he was basically the angel of death. Charlie's eyes widened ever so slightly, but the three other men in the room hardly notice her internal turmoil.

Uriel was **coming**? What the hell did that mean? Surely it was only a _dream_ , it had no meaning. But then again - Charlie had dreams that seem to come true most of the time.

"Well, I'd rather enjoy you getting to the point." Klaus' voice was the one this time to bring Charlie back to the present. She cursed herself silently - she should really stop spacing out.

"I had nine hundred years to learn to be patient." Finn answered, and Charlie raised a brow. Finn, patient? That was a laugh. "Although, I am curious why you kept me daggered in a box for so long."

"You were daggered from being an ever-simpering sycophant." Klaus replied, which caused Charlie to place her forehead into her hand. Well - maybe she should have made the stakes ever so higher against her bet with Elijah. "Did Mother bring you back from the dead, so you could wash her knickers?" A smirk crossed the hybrids face, but it caused Finn to lean back in his chair, his face looking furious.

"She raised me because I was treated unfairly! Cheated of all but the smallest portion of my life!" Charlie rolled her eyes then, as she leaned forward and grabbed a bread roll - she wasn't _use_ to being silent for so long. But this wasn't her battle to **fight** \- her input wasn't needed. _Yet_ anyhow. Taking a small bite, Charlie chewed and watched. "Elijah, I can understand such cruelty coming from him, but I always thought of you as being the compassionate one!" Elijah shifted in his seat and took a **drink**. "What did I do to deserve you turning your back on me? Were you afraid of Niklaus? Are you still? Or perhaps jealousy is what kept me locked in a box?" Elijah didn't look phased as he placed the glass back on the table and simply watched as Finn all but **rambled**. "You coveted the duties of the eldest brother, in which case you had near - on a millennium to fix the problems of this family, and instead, produced nine centuries of failure." Finn paused then, his fingers pressing against the bridge of his nose as he calmed himself down. Charlie was amazed - he seemed to have _learned_ even more since the last time they had met. His anger was very much _still_ present, but it no longer controlled him. It was then that Elijah took the opportunity to speak up.

Huh – Bread rolls were great. Charlie _finished_ the one in her hand and was almost tempted to just grab the whole basket.

"You might reside - somewhat parasitically, I might add - in another body, but I assure you, in nine hundred years, your tedious sentiments remain quite the same." Charlie looked over at Klaus, who looked at her and the pair of them **all** but shared a grin. _Elijah_ seemed to have had enough of Finn's whining. "You see, Finn, like Father, you've always despised our supernatural existence. Father, of course, slaughtered and consumed his own, whereas you became pretentious and dull." _Oh._ burn, Charlie thought. "Much like this meal. I will not ask you again - where is Mother?" Charlie couldn't help but fall against Klaus' arm as the pair of them snickered at Elijah's insults. They were never **too** upset to not hear the _second_ eldest brother find his humour. But it all seemed to vanish when a rather young-looking **girl** stepped into the dining room. Charlie all but **pulled** back from Klaus and frowned.

The young witch could feel the **power** that was _emanating_ from the girl who had just entered. It was Esther.

"Oh, my darling son." Finn raised to his feet. "I've missed you, too."

-x-

Klaus didn't even bother to stand, nor did Elijah. Charlie just wanted to make herself small. "Why don't you say what you came here to say, so this wretched night can end?" Esther gave a sad smile as she looked at her son before sitting down at the head of the table, like Finn had said.

"It pains me that you and Elijah look at me with such disdain. I would be sad to say that even your _look,_ Charlotte -" Her name caused the brunette to jump slightly in her seat. "Was upsetting. I wish you could see that my every action has been to protect you!" Charlie was starting to worry now. Why the _hell_ did Esther bother about her? Charlie thought that the other hated, she was just a failed body snatching attempt ... _oh._

"You actually believe that, don't you? I knew you were a liar, but now I see you're utterly delusional." Klaus was getting **angrier** and Charlie didn't know if she had **enough** power to keep him calm.

"If you can forget the hatred that you cling to and remember all the times I've mended and healed you." Klaus interrupted her with a laugh that caused Charlie to wince. "Elijah, do you recall the day Niklaus challenged your father to a duel? Did I leave your brother to die alone? What did I say, when you came to me and asked me to help him?" Well - Mother dearest was _number_ one manipulator. Elijah sighed before speaking up.

"That you would rather die than to see any of your children suffer." It felt like hours, before Klaus jerked in his chair and looked at his mother.

"The necklace. It wasn't spelled to protect me. It made me weak."

"I sought to protect you from yourself!" Esther tried to argue. "If you had killed your father in that duel, or anyone else in the course of your life, you would have activated your curse!" Klaus slammed his hands down on the table in **almost** _his_ signature rage, it caused Charlie to jump and let her teeth bit down on her lower lip.

"You ruined me!" He wasn't only angry, Charlie noted, but upset. "You left me to suffer at the hands of a father who valued only strength!"

"I kept you from becoming a beast for as long as I possibly could!" The pair of them continued to shout back and forth. Charlie's hands clamped together in her lap - the power that surged around the room was starting to make her **feel** dizzy.

"Oh, you lied to me!" Klaus was shouting now. "To hide your own transgressions because of your own fear!" Another slam against the table and he stood to his feet - his chair sliding backwards with a force that caused it to **fall** over. "My whole life, I sought the approval I was denied by the man I thought was my father!" Charlie raised to her feet then as well - a hand reaching out towards Klaus, but the hybrid shrugged her off and pointed at his mother. "You turned me into the weakling he hated." Elijah joined the pair of them on their feet and started to pace anxiously. Esther **had** the _right_ to look guilty. There was a tiny part of Charlie that couldn't help but **FEEL** sorry for the **thousand-year-old** witch. She was doing what she thought was best for her _son_ \- but in the end it was for nothing.

Klaus however had no such _feeling._ Instead the anger boiled in his stomach and his voice grew even louder. "Look at me! You rant, and you rave about the monster I have become, but you, Mother - you are the author of everything I am." Esther looked flustered and Charlie stepped away from Klaus - sensing the magic in the air. Their mother started to gasp and then fainted, slumping over in her seat - to which Elijah managed to catch her head before it slammed against the table.

"She's gone." Charlie spoke up for the first time in a while. The three brothers looked at her - blue eyes focused on the body of Esther. It was then that Elijah placed her head down gently and flew at Finn but the brother used his magic to push Elijah away - all but throwing him over the table and into the wall. Charlie stepped backwards and held her hands out muttering to herself, she was trying to find Esther. If anything - the spell that Marcel's witch had hopefully worked, but Charlie had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that it wasn't that easy.

"Where is she?" the brunette heard Klaus yell until there was a **thump** and Charlie opened her eyes and focused on Finn. The two of them stared at each other for a couple of seconds.

"We'll stop her." Charlie spoke, and the flustered Finn fixed his jacket.

"Oh, little angel, you have bigger things to worry about." The eldest Mikaelson spoke and Charlie frowned.

"What the hell does that mean?" But she never got an answer, as Finn moved his hand, Charlie went flying back into the wall - whacking her head against the brick she **was** knocked out cold.

Elijah owed her that twenty bucks now.


End file.
